Battle for the Fountain of Youth
The Battle of the Fountain of Youth was the climatic battle in the Quest for the Fountain of Youth in 1750. Though initially fought only between the [[Crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge|crew of the Revenge]] and the British, the Spanish arrived at the scene too. The battle was disastrous for some of the parties involved, resulting in the near wipe out of the British crew and desertion of their leader, Hector Barbossa, several deaths among the pirate crew, including their captain, Blackbeard, and the desertion of the rest who decided to switch sides. The only side who completely accomplished their goals in the battle were the Spanish, led by the Spaniard, who successfully destroyed the Fountain of Youth on behalf of King Ferdinand. Prelude Arriving at the Fountain After stealing the Chalices of Cartagena from the Spanish Royal Navy, Jack Sparrow went to met with Angelica, Blackbeard and his crew. Jack presented the Chalices tied onto a wild boar held on a leash by his friend Joshamee Gibbs, but wasn't willing to give them away so easily. Jack's first request was that Blackbeard brought no harm to Angelica, which Blackbeard claimed that she was never in any harm. After negotiations for the return of Jack's compass and the freedom of Gibbs, Blackbeard considered it done. Jack gave his compass to Gibbs. Now in possession of the Chalices, Jack and the crew went on with the search for the Fountain of Youth. leaves, and this time just his face is in view. He looks side to side, then spots a water droplet defying gravity. Jack watches it as it travels upwards, then takes it with his finger. It goes from finger to finger as he plays with it. He squints through it, moving his hand here and there across a rock wall in front of him. The camera goes very close on the droplet, revealing the same symbol that was in the Logbook and the Mao Kun map (the navigational charts). Finally the droplet breaks free of his finger's grip and it floats upwards, Jack's eyes following its path. The full carving is revealed, panning down to a cave entrance. A bird flies into it. Jack smiles. Later, a torch is seen lighted. The Quartermaster holds it, leading Jack, Angelica, etc., into the cavern. Deep inside the cave there are stalagmites and stalactites. Salaman breaks a piece off - and a stalactite falls onto a pirate's shoulder, killing him instantly. Everyone stares. arriving at the Fountain.]] The pirates soon ended up in a dead end cave. Though Jack Sparrow pretended to know what he was doing, he actually had no idea how to enter the secret valley where the Fountain was located. He unsuccessfully attempted to open a portal to the Fountain by hitting the Chalices one into another, but that didn't work. Angry, Blackbeard aimed his pistol at Sparrow, who started to read the words inscribed on the Chalices, Aqua de Vida, the Water of Life. The magic words immediately caused the water to start flowing up to the walls and onto the top of the cave, creating a small, anti-gravitational lake. Jack then climbed onto Scrum's shoulders, pushing his sword into the floating water, but the sword was sucked into the water by an unseen force, and Sparrow with it. Immediately, Sparrow found himself in the Fountain valley. The rest of the crew followed him, and soon, they were all in the walley. Walking further, they finally found the Fountain of Youth, a spring of water on a small, altar-like rock. Though Sparrow was the first who got near the Fountain, Blackbeard warned him that he'll be the first to drink from the Fountain. Battle The British arrive at the Fountain of Youth.]] Suddenly, Blackbeard remembered the prophecy about his own death and the one-legged man who was supposed to kill him. At the same moment, the crew of the [[HMS Providence|HMS Providence]], led by Hector Barbossa, arrived into the valley. Barbossa, as the representative of the British Empire, accused Blackbeard of numerous crimes of piracy, treason, tortures, and proclaimed him as his prisoner. Blackbeard felt that destiny has finally caught him, but he didn't want to give up so easily, so he ordered his men to kill the intruders, and vowed he would have one last fight. Though Sparrow briefly stopped the fight, and suggested that only the captains fight each other, the fighting of two crews soon continued. No Quarter Two sides clashed against each other with captains of both fighting one on one. Slowly, Blackbeard's crew gained advantage due to some of his pirates being zombies. Lieutenant Gillette of the British Royal Navy was killed by Blackbeard halfway through the course of the conflict. The first mate of the Queen Anne's Revenge, Angelica, and the pirate Scrum attempted to make their way to the fountain to retrieve the magical waters but they were stopped by Jack Sparrow. Sparrow asked Scrum to give him the mermaid's tear but the pirate responded by saying he was more afraid of Angelica than of Jack. The two briefly dueled, which resulted in Jack gaining the tear's container. He soon found himself surrounded by both Angelica and Scrum, who pointed swords at him. After the throwing of Chalices, swords and the tear, Jack throws the Chalices away, forcing Angelica to follow him in attempt to retrive them. Meanwhile, the British and the pirates continued to battle. Blackbeard ultimately broke Barbossa's crutch, leaving the captain a little bit unbalanced because of his peg leg. The infamous pirate tripped the privateer to the ground and was about to finish him off when the Spanish, led by the Spaniard, suddenly arrived. The Spanish arrive The Spanish soldiers quickly surrounded both the pirates and the British, stopping their instense fight. Lieutenant Commander Theodore Groves bravely ran to the fountain and announced it as property of King George, only to be shot by the Spaniard. Forcefully taking the Chalices of Cartagena away from Angelica, the Spaniard revealed his true intentions: the destruction of the Fountain! He then proceeded to crush the Chalices and ordered his men to destroy the Fountain. The Spanish soldiers carried out the order. Two of the zombie pirates, Gunner and the Quartermaster, attempted to stop them. Blackbeard, distracted by the Spaniard's actions, let his guard down and this resulted in Hector Barbossa stabbing him with a poisoned sword. Blackbeard's daughter, Angelica, ran to her father's side to remove it, but poisoned herself in the process. So Jack had to fill two silver chalices with the Fountain's water and in one he put the mermaid's tear. The one who drank the tear would be healed. The other one would die. As both Blackbeard and Angelica lay dying, Jack offered them the cups. Blackbeard chose, out of greed, the one with the mermaid's tear. Angelica gladly drank the death one. But Jack had switched the cups. So it was Blackbeard who drank the death one. Angelica was healed, but then marooned by Jack Sparrow. Sources *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide'' Category:Battles